Sasha guided Noel forward. “Is something wrong, Frank?” she asked. “Where is Julia?”
He offered a weak smile. “She went to the restroom.”
The polite word for the privy, Sasha had learned.
“She’s probably reconnoitering and gathering evidence against our Max,”Sasha’s dragon declared.
“She won’t find anything incriminating,”Sasha said.“But just in case, I’ll boil the kettle thing and make tea. I’m glad Max showed us that search thing to learn things.”
“I love Justine, The Smart Computer. Mr. Google is okay, too,”her dragon said.“Will we meet him in person? He seems most intelligent.”
“We’ll ask Max later. Meantime, we have more important things to do for Max.”
Sasha made tea and pulled a packet of chocolate chip biscuits from the cupboard. These, she set on a plate. By the time the tea was steeping, and she’d set out the cups, Julia still hadn’t appeared.
“Is Julia lost?” Sasha asked. “Should I go to find her?”
“I’ll go,” Frank said, rising abruptly. He muttered under his breath and offered Sasha another halfhearted smile.
“Well,” Sasha said. “That is strange.” She smiled at Noel. “Would you like tea or milk?”
“Milk,” Noel said. “And a cookie.”
Sasha gave him the milk and placed a cookie on a plate for him. “Are the brown bits delicious?” She couldn’t wait to try one.
“Yes, but they’re not as good as Mummy’s cookies. Daddy, Max, and me all liked them.”
It was the most Sasha had heard from Noel, and the first time he’d mentioned his parents.
“Maybe Justine, The Smart Computer, can help us make some for Noel. It won’t be the same,”her dragon said.“But it might offer him comfort.”
Sasha agreed. She hadn’t taken to Julia at all, and the woman’s cold manner toward her and Noel didn’t reassure Sasha. This was a woman who was trying to wrest Noel from Max because it would impress her friends and society. If she’d shown an ounce of love or concern for Noel, Sasha might’ve warmed to her more.
“You’re not sleeping with Max,” Julia said, sailing into the room like a fishing boat under full sail.
Sasha’s eyes narrowed. “You searched my room?”
The woman brushed off Sasha’s indignation. “Answer me.”
“It wouldn’t set the right example for Noel,” Sasha said.
Julia’s eyes narrowed in on Sasha’s hand, the one bearing Max’s ring. “Max gave you Hazel’s ring!”
“We’re engaged,” Sasha said without flinching. If this woman wanted to intimidate her, she could think again. Sasha had trained with the high-ranked dames on Perfume Isle. Each social occasion where she’d learned to hold her own had prepared her for this moment. “It is an honor to wear Max’s and Noel’s mother’s ring.”
“When Sheryl told me of the engagement, I thought she was joking,” Julia said. “Where did you meet?”
She and Max had agreed on a story, and luckily Max had prepared answers for her. He’d told her to keep her answers simple and not to offer too many details. “We met when Max went on holiday to France.”
“I see. Where are your clothes?”
Once again, Sasha was pleased Max had been thorough in his preparation. Sasha wrinkled her nose. “The airline lost my bag. They think the man at check-in mislabeled it and sent it to Hong Kong. Although how he managed this feat, I have no clue. It’s most inconvenient. Max is picking up a few things for me while he’s in Edinburgh.”
Julia pursed her lips and appeared ready to launch into more questions.
“Offer her tea. Be the hostess and make her toe the politeness line,”her dragon ordered.
“Excellent plan.”Sasha beamed at Noel’s grandparents. “I’m so pleased to meet you both. Won’t you sit? How do you take your tea?”
